


Mr. Postman

by writeyourownlifestory



Category: Bohemian Rhapsody (Movie 2018) Actor RPF, Dear Sidewalk (2013)
Genre: Based off Movie, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-24
Updated: 2019-03-26
Packaged: 2019-11-29 03:16:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,525
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18217466
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/writeyourownlifestory/pseuds/writeyourownlifestory
Summary: Ben Hardy is forced from his home life in London and dropped off to live a small existence in Texas. The only bright side? The adorable mailman that comes by each and every day.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is what happens when Alona watched things with Joe or Ben in it. 
> 
> Completely based off Dear Sidewalk (2013) which is available on Youtube, so I highly suggest you watch it. 
> 
> Gardner Langway owns my heart.

The first time he see’s him, it’s while he’s on his route.

Ben never wanted to be here. In America. In  _Texas._  Especially during the bloody summer time.

Granted, it seemed as though his mother had intentions of staying, so the whole seasonal thing was just an extra reason to bitch.

His mum remarried and decided to take Ben along with her to her new home. Seemed rather pointless as Ben was a grown adult male and could have very well stayed in England, but she cried about it. Saying how the family would be torn apart if he stayed behind.

Ben wanted to argue that their family already had been torn apart the moment she and his dad divorced, but he kept his mouth shut, packed up his things, and followed her across the world.

His step-dad was well off, which meant Ben didn’t have to work right away. The downside to that was he had nothing else to do than to sit out on the pretty porch of his new home and watch the small town people go by.

People were excited to see them, the handsome family with the cute accents. He would say words they’d ask him to say and speak of London like it was some mythical place. The people in town were nice enough, though very odd.

Small towns were exactly what he thought they’d be. Everybody was close-knit and sweet. Maybe there was more than meets the eye, but Ben had yet to find out. Instead, he focused on trying to find his own place in the new area.

He had tried to find something fun to do. Something worth his time and effort.

Thats when he saw him. In his adorable uniform and ridiculous hat. He was a mailman, nothing more, but nothing less.

Cute, reddish-brown hair, cut short but a little long on top. He was wearing the uniform that consisted of a short sleeve button up and shorts. Bobby socks that showed off his knees, and sneakers. That hat was slightly ridiculous, but at the same time, oddly charming.

He didn’t come to their home, mostly due to not having any mail as of yet. He would pass by every day, the same time a day. It was his routine and Ben figured he stuck to it well enough.

It was nearly a week since they arrived when a piece of mail finally arrived at them. Ben was sitting on the couch, idly watching the television when he caught the blue uniform in the corner of his eye. The mailman came forward, placing a sticky note on his door.

Ben stood and went to check it out, pulling it off and reading it over. “What’s this?” He called out.

The mailman stopped right as he made it to the front gate. “A package.” He answered.

Ben looked to him, his head cocking to the side. “This is a package?” He asked, raising a brow.

“Slip for one. It’s at the post office, waiting to be picked up.”

“And you can’t just bring it to me? Isn’t that your job?”

“Section 4.7 of the residential manual states a package of that size cannot be left without the recipients signature.” He rattled off swiftly.

“So?” Ben muttered. “Bring it here and I’ll sign off on it.” He turned, already heading back into the house. “Not like I have anything else to do.”

He closed the door, leaving it at that. When the following day came, Ben was curious to know if the handsome little mailman would delivery his package and low and behind he did. He wasn’t lying when he said it was large. He carried it to best of his ability, dropping it just as Ben opened the door.

“Oh. Oh god, I am so sorry.” He rambled, his hazel-eyed wide with shock and fear.

“It’s fine, mate. Nothing of real importance.”

The copper-haired man moved quickly, picking the box up once more. “Do you...can you sign?”

“Yeah bring it on in.” Ben stepped back, opening the door for him. The copper-haired man hesitated but eventually begins walking, going deeper into the house until he reaches the kitchen. Ben goes to the box, pulling the tape off and opening it up to see the item that had been shipped.

“You’re a long way from England.” The mailman mentioned to him.

“You can say that again,” Ben muttered.

“Did I break it?” He asked quietly.

“I think you actually made it better.” Ben pulled out the statue that was now in two pieces. His aunt had shipped it for his mum but the woman was away on her honeymoon.

She left her son in this new place, in this quiet little town, and went to enjoy her time with her new husband.

“It’s ugh....it’s neat.” The mailman commented. He lifted his hands, showing off the signing pad.

“My mum made it. She worked in art back in London. She’s going to be working at a studio in town.” Ben mentioned, taking the pad and scribbling his name onto it. “Thanks for bringing it. Am I...do they tip you here?”

“We accept tips on holidays. Any other day is completely up to you.”

“Right well, my tip is next time hold the box from the bottom band or the sides.”

“Har Har.” He replied dryly. “Have a good day, Mr. Hollander.”

“It’s Hardy, actually,” Ben told him. “Hollander is my step-dad.”

Ben watched as the man turned and left, leaving him alone with the busted statue.

Ben doesn’t see him for a few days and at first, found himself confused and wondering if the copper-haired man was avoiding him until he realized it’s the weekend. When Monday rolls around, he sits outside in the porch, just waiting.

He waves at neighbors and even thinks about going for a jog but he quickly realizes he would without a doubt get lost. When the man finally shows up, he walks right past Ben to get to his mailbox.

“Hello to you too,” Ben muttered as the man walks past him for a second time.

“Oh. Sorry.” He murmurs, turning back to face him. “I didn’t realize. Sorry, I’m kind of lost in my head when I work.”

“Bring me anything good?” Ben asked, gesturing to the mailbox.

The uniformed man shrugs. “It’s really not my business to see what it is you get. I just deliver it.”

“Right,” Ben replied, leaning back against the porch. He kept his eyes on the males, watching as he stood there, anxious to leave and get back to his job. “What’s your name?”

“Excuse me?”

“You know mine, do I get to know yours?”

“Oh.” The man lifted his hand, removing that stupid hat from his head and running his fingers through his reddish brown hair. “It’s Joe.”

“Joe,” Ben replied. “You don’t have a Texas accent, Joe.”

“Neither do you.” The man fired back. “Have a good day, Mr. Hardy.”

Ben knew it was pathetical, him spending his time doing nothing more than moving around and bothering the mailman. He had nothing else better to do and to be honest it didn’t seem like Joe minded all too much. Sure he rolled his eyes at him but he also seemed to put up with him. Never ran when he came his way and always stayed for the slight amount of conversation that Ben offered.

The second time he was sitting out on his porch, Joe approached him, offering whatever mail he had received since then. Ben checked it all, tossing it behind him. Junk mail. Nothing worth his attention.

“When do you get off?” He asked the male casually.

At least to him, it was casual. Joe paused, circling around like he was looking for somebody else. “Um. Five?” He answered though uncertainty filled his voice. “Give or take, depending on how much I have to delivery. Today has been light, so around five.”

“I don’t know this town. I’ve been here for a week and the only places I have been are the grocery store.”

“Oh.” Joe shifted from one leg to another. “Sorry.”

“Show me around?” Ben offered. “Or do you have something better to do?”

Joe laughed bitterly, rolling his eyes at the comment, though Ben had been completely serious.

“Gotta be something we could do.”

Joe was quiet for a minute, scratching at the back of his neck. “I might know a place.” He confessed reluctantly.

That placed turned out to be an arcade. Apparently, his best friends girlfriend practically ran the place and always gave him free tokens to splurge on. Ben hadn’t been to a place like this since he was a kid and to be honest, it wasn’t anything spectacular.

A few skeeball shoots, one of those ‘get the ball in the hoop’ type of things, and a few other things. This place was meant more for teenagers who were too lame to do hard drugs but too young to get a job, so they went here after school to avoid being home doing nothing.

“I don’t go out a lot,” Joe confessed to him, focusing on tossing the ball up the ramp.

They had met up after he got off of work and Ben finally saw him out of his uniform. He was wearing jeans and blue plaid and Ben found that Joe really did look good in blue.

“Our town is kind of boring. There’s a bar I go to something with my friend and there’s a really nice body of water you can swim in, but other than that, it’s basically just grass and sunflowers.” He looked to Ben, offering him one of the balls so they could take turns. “A lot different from London, I’m sure.”

“You could say that again.” The blond muttered, tossing the ball up the ramp.

“Why did you move anyway. I haven’t seen anybody else at your house, and there’s a woman’s name on some of your mail.”

“My mum,” Ben explained. “She remarried. Guilted me into coming here with her. Said if I had stayed behind, the family would be broken forever.”

“Did you do anything back in England? Like, a job?”

“I was an actor,” He confessed somberly.

It wasn’t anything completely worthwhile. Wasn’t Broadway but he liked it and he made a decent living. People came to see him and the others and they were finally getting their names out there when his mum went and pulled this shit.

“I mean . . . it’s not London or anything of the sort, but we do have a community theatre. And it’s sort of a big deal. Like, for Texas I mean.”

Ben cocked a head, looking him over. “Are you joking?”

Joe shook his head innocently. “I could show you. They have a show coming up. We could go and you could get some like, insight if you want.”

Ben bobbed his head. Wasn’t the worst idea in the world. Acting seemed to be the only thing he took the real joy out of so even if it was just some community theatre, at least it would be enough to hold him over until he found his bearings.

“So. I kinda realized I don’t know your first name.” Joe mentioned to him towards the end of the night. “I just know you as Mr. Hardy.”

“Right. Wouldn’t exactly be normal if you called me by my surname.” Ben reached forward, offering his hand. “Ben.” He answered him professionally.

The copper-haired man took his hand, shaking it firmly. “Joe, but you already knew that.”

The following day, Ben decided to go out and try to make his home feel like a home. It was empty aside from him and whatever his mother had brought with them from England. It was still empty and he was eating whatever junk they had gotten on their first day. While speaking with his mother about when she’d return, she babbled on about how much fun she was having and had her new husband wire some money to Ben.

A lot of money, in fact.

Ben rolled his eyes because he wasn’t some teenager who wanted to be showered with gifts. He was a grown man who didn’t need someone to pay for his affections, but if the man was going to try, he figured he’d as well accept what was given.

He went out shopping, prepared to fill the cupboard and fridge with more than enough food. To his surprise, he found Joe at the same store. He questioned why Joe wasn’t following his oh so very routine when the man reminded him it was a holiday.

Some American one that Ben didn’t even know of, but it meant no mail for the day.

“Well, what do you say? Help a poor man do some shopping?”

Joe had his own home to shop for, but he was happy to help Ben. He followed the copper-haired man around the place, jumping on the cart from behind and receiving a glare of Joe in the process.

“You like order, don’t you?” Ben asked him as he watched Joe organize the items in his cart while Ben just tossed whatever he wanted inside.

“It relaxes me,” Joe confessed to him. “I’m not OCD or anything like that. Not clinically. I just . . . sticking with a routine makes everything go a bit smoother.”

“And I take it you don’t like getting wild?” Ben suggested. “When you do your route, do you ever do anything differently? Take a different turn or maybe do it backward?”

“Why would I want to do that?” Joe asked him curiously. “I know it’s boring. Same thing, every day. Same people, same mailboxes. I work nine to five, Monday through Friday. I get an hour or lunch. Sometimes I do the route, other times I’m at the office. It’s nothing new, nothing exciting. But that is my life. And I’m okay with it.”

“Don’t you want something new and exciting?” Ben offered.

Joe shrugged, grabbing one of the cereal boxes from the shelf. “You’re new. You’re exciting. Isn’t that enough?” He questioned.

Ben raised a brow, surprised by his answer. “Are you saying you want me, Joe?”

Hazel eyes blew up suddenly, and his cheeks were as red as his hair. Ben chuckled, shaking his head. “You’re cute when you’re nervous.”

“Oh my god,” Joe muttered, turning away from him. Ben just laughed, following him to the next aisle.

When they finished their shopping, they went their separate ways, but Ben found himself going to Joe’s place after finding Joe's wallet inside one of his own bags. He must have dropped it while they were unpacking and Ben used the address on Joe’s license to find his place.

He knocked gently, waiting for someone to answer. Instead of Joe, a shorter man in overalls opened the door. “You’re not holding a pizza.” He mentioned, looking Ben over once.

“No. Is Joe here?”

The man smiled brightly, bobbing his head. “You must be Ben. It’s the accent. Joe talks about it a lot. Even mimics it too. Come on in.”

Ben followed the shorter male inside. The home was quaint and comfortable, unlike his own place. It felt more like a home, while his place felt like somewhere he was currently living. The other man led him to a door, gesturing for him to enter.

When he did, he found Joe lying back on his bed, skimming through a book. He bounced up when he saw who was entering, sending the book flying to the floor. Ben reached down, lifting it up.

“Hey buddy,” He breathed softly.

“Hi,” Joe muttered. “What are you doing here?”

Reaching into his pocket, Ben pulled out the wallet, tossing it to him. “Found it in one of my grocery bags.”

Joe swore, going through the wallet to make sure he didn’t lose anything when he dropped it. “Thanks,” He mentioned quietly.

Ben hummed, looking over the book which turned out to be a scrapbook. “Stamps?” He asked.

Joe rubbed his hand against his face as if trying to hide from him. “I’m a collector.” He confessed. “I’m stupid, I know.”

“What? No, not in the least.” Ben didn’t do anything of the sort. He didn’t collect anything, not into the books from the shows he did. He just didn’t have it in him to keep anything. Not even for sentimental reasons.

“They’re um, they’re all limited editions.” He confessed, sitting up a bit more on his bed. “Some of them were misprints. Only ones in the world.”

“Really now.”

Joe reached out for the book and Ben passed it over to him. Moving deeper into the room, he took a space beside Joe on the bed as the copper-haired man skipped through until he settled on one. “See this? This is my favorite.” He pointed to a surfer man holding a board. “Only one like it in the world. He’s holding his board upside down.”

“How did you end up with it?” Ben asked him.

Joe shrugged, smiling gently. “Got lucky.”

“Do you get lucky often?”

Joe blushed again, turning his head with a small laugh. “Sometimes.” Reaching forward, he tossed the scrapbook onto his nightstand, going to lean back on his bed. “This is . . . so odd.” He confessed. “You being here. In my room. On my bed.”

Ben raised a brow, looking around. “I can go,” He suggested, pointing towards the door.

“No!” Joe jumped, startling himself in the process. “I mean . . . it’s fine. We’re just hanging out. Two guys, just sitting in bed together. We could watch football or something. I don’t own porn or anything.”

“Do people still own porn? Isn’t that what the internet is for?”

“I don’t. . . .”

“Do you usually watch porn with your friends?”

“No! I just . . . it was a suggestion.”

“Interesting one at that.”

“God, shut up,” Joe muttered, groaning into his hands. “Do you like horseshoes.”

Ben raised a brow, taken back by the question. Ten minutes later, the three men were outside, drinking cheap beer and tossing the shoes back and forth. It was too simple yet so amusing. It was the most fun Ben had since he left London.

The game was cut short when Rami’s girlfriend Lucy arrived, picking him up for a date. Lucy was not at all what ben expected and it was clear on his face as they watched the two leave.

“Lucy is one hundred percent out of Rami’s league and he knows it,” Joe mentioned somberly. “He fixed her car and they went out for coffee afterward. They’ve been in love ever since. Kind of sickening, you know.”

“What about you? No love interest for the mailman?”

Joe snorted, turning back to the game at hand. “Not exactly.” He confessed. “Only people who want to have an affair with the mailman are desperately lonely housewives and to be honest, they’re really not my type. Besides, I am far too professional.”

“Come on. There has to be someone.” Joe didn’t answer him. He turned his face away and tossed the horseshoe against the stake. “Rami told me that you mimic my accent.” He spoke, deciding to change the subject. “Can I hear it?”

Joe turned back to him, his hazel eyes narrowed. “Just throw your damn horseshoe already.”

“Oh come on, I’m sure it’s wonderful,” Ben mentioned, yelping at Joe tossed the horse head close to him, nearly hitting him in the process.

It was a few nights later when Joe appeared on his doorstep, ready to take him to the theatre. It wasn’t a date or at least that was what Ben reminded himself. He didn’t exactly know what Joe liked and while Ben thought he made it obvious he found the copper-haired man very adorable, he wasn’t so sure Joe felt the same.

Sill he dressed up nice, ready to go to the theatre. Joe seemed nervous along the way, but Ben wrote that off as him just being awkward and because he didn’t go to things like this often. The place was bigger than Ben expected and had a decent amount of people showing up.

The show itself isn’t perfect, but the cast is talented enough and with a decent script they could put on an amazing show. By the end, Ben was fairly certain he would do just about anything to audition for them.

Joe took him to the water when the show was over, the two sitting together as they tossed rocks and watched the water ripple in the moonlight.

“You’d be awesome up there you know. On stage. I bet you’d make an awesome leading man.”

“Are you flirting with me, Joseph?” Ben asked playfully.

Joe smiled bashfully, shrugging. “Is that what you do on a date? You flirt?”

“A date?” Ben repeated.

Joe’s smile suddenly disappeared and he was left gapping, pushing up off the bench he was sitting on. “Oh. Oh god. This isn’t . . . of course it’s not.”

“Joe,” Ben began, but the other man was still babbling.

“You’re not even gay. You probably dated like so many women back in London and now you’re stuck in fucking Texas with the neighborhood mailman who has a crush on you. Oh, Christ!”

“Joe. JOE!” Ben stood, taking hold of Joe’s arm. “Breathe, buddy. Just breathe.” He murmured softly. “You’re right, I’m not gay. To be honest, I lean more towards bisexual. And I went on a few dates back in London, but it never stuck.”

“So . . . you like guys?” Joe asked shyly.

Ben couldn’t help but chuckle. “Yes, actually. One guy, specifically.”

“One guy . . . oh.” Joe paused, blushing once more.

He stepped forward suddenly, closing the gap between them and pressing his lips to Ben’s. The kiss smothering and quick and when Joe pulls back, he places his hands in his face.

“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I’m not good at this.” Joe whined, his words muffled in his hands. “I’ve never done this before. Kissing or dating or anything. Oh god, I am so pathetic.”

“Joe, come on. It’s not pathetic,” Ben mentioned, his smile still on. He stepped forward, wrapping his arms about Joe, holding him close. “It’s sweet. Everything to you is fresh and new. It’s quite exciting.”

Joe pressed his face to Ben’s shoulder, inhaling his scent. “Not exactly ideal, is it?”

Ben shrugged, running his hand up and down his back. “Maybe not. But we got time to get it right.”

Joe bobbed his head, hugging him instead of replying with words.

The weekend came and Ben realized he hadn’t heard from Joe in two days. He found it odd and he wondered if he scared the man off. He texted him but got no reply so he decided to throw caution to the wind and go to his home.

Joe was sitting in his room, adding a few new stamps to his collection. He looked surprised to see Ben, almost shocked.

“Have you been avoiding me?” He asked him.

“What? No, of course not!” Joe spit out quickly. “I just . . . I didn’t want to come off as, you know, too much. I didn’t want to cling. I like you, but I have never done this before so I didn’t want to be too much.”

“Too much?” Ben repeated. “You can’t be too much if you’re not around me.”

Joe shrugged, moving to stand from his bed. “I’m around you now.” He suggested. “Do you wanna sit?”

“Wanna watch porn?” Ben teased.

“I have wifi,” Joe told him, though they didn’t end up watching porn.

They stayed on Joe’s bed, watching a movie and just sitting together. It was calm and casual and Ben knew Joe was living for it. Ben had no problem going slowly with this if it meant keeping Joe happy and comfortable.

Rami appeared in the doorway sometime later, looking over the two. “Hi there love birds,” He hummed softly. “Dinner is almost ready. Wanna join me or should I bring it in here so you can stay all cuddled up?”

“Get out of here you douche-canoe.” Joe groaned, pressing his face into Ben’s shoulder as Rami walked away laughing.

“I am so sorry. He’s weird, I know. Lucy made him weirder.”

“I like him. He’s fun.” Ben shrugged. “I like you more though.”

“Oh god, you need to stop,” Joe whispered, pushing off the bed. “Come on. I’m going to stuff my mouth — I didn’t mean to make that sound so gross.”

“Sexy,” Ben winked, earning a groan from Joe.

Ben had gone for his audition the same way his mother and step-father returned from their honeymoon. It was early in the morning and he aced it, completely doing better than anybody expected. They liked his accent and his training. They liked his look and knew people would want to come to see him.

He was given a practice script so he could go over it with the rest of the cast, to get an idea of where he would fit. When he returned home, he was walking on air. It all came crashing down however when he returned home to see the all too nice red car parked in the driveway.

He groaned internally and entered his home, finding himself completely attacked by his mother, who was going on and on about the ocean. How lovely it was and how tan she was. She loved the sun and the heat, it was far too much to deal with. All she did was talk down on London and speak of how nice it was to be back home.

This was her home. Ben had been the one alone in it for nearly three weeks, but suddenly she was here and his perfect little world was over. Ben felt like he was living in a house of lies.

Ben stormed out of the house just as Joe was approaching, mail in hand. “Hey handsome,” He called out, his smile falling when he saw Ben’s expression. “Are you okay?”

“Mother,” Ben sighed out heavily. “Returned from her honeymoon and has been suffocating me.”

“Oh.” Joe looked between Ben and his home. “I’m sorry.” He reached forward, offering Ben his mail, but the blond ignored it.

“Wanna go somewhere?”

Joe cocked his head to the side, confused. “I’m . . . I’m on route.”

“So? Finish it later.” Ben regretted the words as quickly as they were spoken. He knew how Joe was. He had to get his job done, making him stop was selfish and wrong. “I’m sorry. Just forget it.”

Ben turned back to the house, taking the mail from Joe, or at least attempting to. Joe didn’t let out though.

“Wanna go to the water?” Joe asked him. Ben swallowed hard, leading him to the truck.

Joe climbed in with him, placing his bag in the back seat before driving off. They sat by the water for what seemed like hours, until the sun was beginning to go back. Joe listened as Ben complaining about how his parents broke up and his mother had been guilting into things ever since his dad left.

He knew she meant well but it was just so sickening to see her be so kind and wonderful without giving a shit how Ben was coping with it all.

Joe was a good listener, lifting his hand to rub at Ben’s back and shoulder. He offered comfort Ben didn’t expect to find when he arrived in Texas. “I landed the audition.” He told him after his bit of whining. “They want me?”

“Of course they do! Yes, buddy!” Joe reaches forward, taking hold of Ben’s face as he kissed him. It was wet and sloppy, full of excitement. “This is going to be great. I’ll slip fliers in peoples mail slots.”

“Isn’t that against the law?” Ben questioned.

Joe smiled in such a way Ben had never seen before. So cute and bold. “I’ll break the law for my boyfriend.” He told him confidently.

“Boyfriend?” Ben mimicked.

Joe’s smile disappeared as quickly as it came and the man jumped up from the bench. “Oh. Oh no I did it again didn’t I? Too soon right? I’m sorry. Ignore me.”

Ben knew it was happening fast. Them being together like this. They had only met two weeks ago and while it may be a bit ridiculous Ben didn’t mind it. Maybe they were dealing with some quarter life crisis but he liked the idea of being with Joe.

“Why would I want to ignore my boyfriend?” He asked playfully.

Joe turned to face him, his expression full of surprise before he leaped forward, pulling Ben in for a kiss. They kissed by the water for a bit while longer before going to finish Joe’s mail route, when it was dark and turn to turn in, Ben drove Ben home. The later man asked him inside because they hadn’t even had dinner yet but neither cared much for the kitchen.

They bypassed it and went right for Joe’s bedroom, kissing all the while. Ben moves too quickly and knocked himself into the bed and Joe landed on the floor with a thump. Ben tried to see if the man was okay but he just waved him on, pulling Ben into the floor with him.

Only when they were finished did they make it to his bed, Ben laying first with Joe on top of him, his head on the man’s chest as he listened to his heartbeat.

“We had sex on the floor,” Joe whispered sweetly. “What a wild way to lose your virginity.”

“You can say that again,” Ben hummed.

Joe lifted his head, smirking to him. “We had sex on the floor,” he repeated. “Too much?”

Ben rolled his eyes, pulling Joe in for another, loving kiss.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I honestly have no idea where this came from. So many people liked this story and the idea of adding more elements from Dear Sidewalk haunted me in the shower so . . . here we are. Please enjoy.

Layoffs were coming, they knew that one for sure. Thanks to delivery services like Amazon had basically destroyed the need for the postal delivery. Things were still sent through good old fashion snail mail, but not as much. They didn’t even have deliveries on the weekends now. Just Monday through Friday and there was no reason a large number of workers were needed to cover such a small town.

So Joe was fired. It was a devastating blow that neither saw coming. Ben was in the middle of rehearsing when Joe called him, his voice shaking that he needed to see him. They met by the water, by their bench. Joe was already there, wrapped up in his knees and pouting deeper than Ben had ever seen.

Ben came to his side, his expression marked with worry. Joe looked utterly heartbroken and completely destroyed when he confessed he had been fired. They didn’t understand why. There were other people there that didn’t take the job as seriously as Joe had. People who were older and couldn’t get the job done as well as Joe did.

Joe would never think badly about his coworkers, but even he had to admit he was in the top three all around. Nobody cared about this job as he did.

“For God sake, I am a glorified note passer. Even in High school — I sat between this couple and just passed notes back and forth.”

“And nobody ever passed a note to you?” Ben asked, hoping the subject change would lighten the mood.

Joe cocked his head, sending a dirty look to the blond. “You know for a fact they didn’t.” He snarked. “What am I supposed to do now?”

Ben didn’t have an answer. Not a concrete one anyway. So he came up with the cheesiest thing he could think of. “Anything you want.”

Joe groaned, running his hands through his hair. “Ben, come on!”

“No, I’m serious! You can do whatever you put your mind to. This may be a small town but surely there is something else out there that would bring you joy.”

“The only things that bring me joy is delivering mail and being with you. I already lost one of those and I’m sure I’ll lose the other soon enough.”

Ben leaned back against the bench, caught off guard by his harsh wording. “What is that supposed to mean?”

“Dating a mailman was embarrassing enough, but to date a  _former_  mailman? Don’t kid yourself, Ben. Might as well just end it now; no point in beating around the bush.”

“I’m not going to dump you just because you lost your job, you twat.” Ben was laughing. Light and humorless because really, it was baffling that he’d even come to that conclusion.

“You should. It would be less pathetic.” Joe muttered, kicking at the grass.

Ben sighed, standing from the bench and going to stand in front of Joe. He forced the other man to look his way until their hazel and green eyes finally linked.

“I understand how stressful this is and I’m sorry it happened. But I’m not breaking up with you. Besides, if you don’t have a job, I guess you’ll just have to be my little house husband until you find something else.”

Joe softened, shifting his shoulders and pouting once again. “We don’t even have a house.” He whined.

Ben smiled, shrugging it off. “Rami’s will do.” He noted, tipping Joe’s head forward so he could kiss him.

Even with all the stress of it, Joe was still able to relax into the kiss, something Ben took pride in.

They had been together for just shy of three months and while months those had been intense, Ben had never felt something so right. When he first told his mum that he had met someone, she was a little on edge.

Despite being an adult, Ben was her only child. Man or woman, she had always been very questionable when it came to who Ben chose to spend his time with. She mentioned how quickly things had happened between the two men and worried that Ben was clinging onto Joe because he was forced away from a life he was comfortable in.

And she wasn’t wrong, in a degree. Ben did cling to Joe, but not due to the loneliness or emptiness he felt when he arrived, but rather finally having someone so much unlike himself.

Everybody in London was the same. Either a homebody who sat on the couch watching reruns of The Great British Baking Show or posh beginners who wanted to drink and dance as they tried to hang onto their youth.

Joe was a slightly narcotic American man who didn’t have many hobbies but was always willing to try something new if it meant making Ben happy.

And he did make Ben happy. Terribly so. Ben found himself growing ill at times, thinking about how life prior to Joe was so unfilled. Now he was with this handsome man who was always so shy and walked on eggshells around him even after being together for as long as they had.

Ben had tried to reassure him that he didn’t have to try so hard. That all he had to do was breathe and be himself but in the end Joe just found himself forgetting to breathe in general. He was still trying to impress Ben and show that he was worthy of being in a relationship with him.

Joe had tried even harder to impress Ben’s mother, which was stranger than anything. He came to dinner one evening. They had met a time or two, but Ben never bluntly invited him to spend time with his mum and step-dad. Joe insisted on it, throwing Ben’s words back at him that they needed to be comfortable around one another.

He brought his mum flowers and his step-dad fudge filled cookies. When Ben teased him, questioning what Joe had brought him, the copper-haired male only blushed, mentioning that he wasn’t enough.

Every now and then Joe would get bold in the bedroom. It was surprising since he was so adorable and sweet outside, but the moment they were behind closed doors Joe turned into a naughty boy.

He couldn’t flirt for shit, but that was what Ben liked about him.

His mum took to Joe well enough. He was a polite Southern boy who just wanted his boyfriends family to like him. His step-dad liked him the most, appreciate the effort he put in and how he seemed genuinely good for Ben.

Ben and Tom had gotten closer during their time living together and while he very much doubted the two would ever be caught tossing a ball back and forth like a real father and son, he liked knowing that his mum had somebody taking care of her.

Especially when Joe decided he wanted to move out of his home.

The house was decently sized, but still far too small for the three of them. He was very much aware that his mum and step-dad had a vigorous sex life and the one time he invited Joe over for a small act of revenge, the hazel-eyed man nearly broke down in shame in the realization of how thin the walls were.

They only had sex in his home if his parents were gone. Joe’s own place wasn’t much better, but his room was on the opposite side of the house so it wasn’t as easy to hear all the commotion.

Ben had expressed a desire to move out to Joe one night and the other male suggested he stay with him for the time being. They both knew it was a stupid idea and Joe shoved his face into the pillow the moment he offered.

Rami’s home was far smaller than Ben’s and it seemed very clear that Lucy would be moving in at some point. Neither Joe nor Ben was sure the four of them would be able to handle such tight living quarters.

So he began searching for places closer to the city, closer to the theatre. Ben’s first show had gone wonderfully and they were now working on the second, which as it turned out, was quite shit.

Ben had no idea where the hell they picked it out from, but it was terrible. Not even himself, who had been classically trained, could make sense of it. Rami mentioned that the quality didn’t matter but Ben begged to differ. People came to the theatre to be entertained and the only way that was happening was for them to walk out laughing before demanding a refund.

Ben kept it to himself, however. He was still so new, he didn’t dare open his mouth in fear of being seen as some posh bastard who thought he was better. The last thing he needed was for himself and Joe to lose their jobs.

So he kept on working. Kept rehearsing and looking for places that weren’t too out of his price range and also weren’t too horrible. His step-dad offered to help him with the payment and Ben thought about taking the offer, if he could just find a place.

In the meantime, he did what he could to help Joe handle his lack of career. After a few days of moping, Rami had dragged him to the auto-body shop he worked at. He mostly did behind the desk stuff, like working the books and handling all the paperwork, but every now and then he’d be dragged onto the floor.

Joe didn’t know shit about cars and while Ben tried his best to help him pick some stuff up, nothing really seemed to stick.

They sat together in Joe’s bed; Ben trying his best to memorize the garbage script he had been given. Joe was going on about some woman that came in to talk about her car and how he just couldn’t keep his mouth shut.

“I mean honestly, who takes their hand off the wheel?” Joe demanded, still seething with annoyance.

“I tend to hold your hand while I drive,” Ben commented, his eyes remaining on the script.

Joe scoffed, reaching over to lift Ben’s hand from where it laid against his mouth. He traced the lines with his fingertips, lacing their fingers together at last and squeezing. “That’s different.”

Ben snorted, raising a brow at his answer. He heard Joe wince and only then did he look up. “And I boring you?” He asked gently.

“What? No, love. Just . . . trying to memorize this script, but…” Ben reached forward, tossing the hefty script onto the nightstand. “I think that’s enough for tonight.”

Joe moved forward, squeezing between the wall and where Ben was laying back on his mattress. “I’m sorry your script is so terrible. I mean, you’re talented so I am sure you’ll make it work, right?”

Ben wrapped his arm around Joe, pulling him in so they could lay together. “I very much doubt I will be able to do anything remotely close to making it work. I just wish they’d pick something else. Anything! Lord, I’d do a musical if it meant getting out of this script.”

“You can’t even sing.” Joe snorted, nuzzling his nose against Ben’s jawline. “Sorry.”

“The truth hurts, but I think I’ll survive.”

And survive it he would. Joe went into work and dealt with the torturous rehearsals. It was terrible, but he didn’t have a choice. It was this for look for other work. He just hoped when the play was finished, the place still had enough funding to afford him.

After one afternoon where nothing was going right, Ben decided to throw caution to the wind and booked an apartment. It was high up, overlooking the water and was only a few yards away from the bench he and Joe would sit at whenever they needed to be alone.

His step-dad was good on his word and helped him put the money down and, deciding to continue living wild, Ben asked Joe to move in with him. The male was surprised, of course. How could he not be? Everything was happening so fast. Just a few months ago, he didn’t even know Ben and he still worked at the same place he worked at since he was a teenager.

Now so much had changed and it terrified him. It scared them both, but they were just so sickeningly happy together and Ben wanted that happiness to continue. Sure, there were small arguments, like Ben not taking anything too seriously or when Joe would refuse to lighten up. All relationships were like that. Sometimes you’d argue, other times you’d be so happy you could die.

Ben didn’t want to overthink it. The play was terrible and he just wanted to focus on the good things he had going and that was Joe.

Somehow, he was able to persuade him to agree. Ben believed it was all the kisses and the eventual blowjob he had given the other man that was finally what got him to say yes. It took one day to move Joe into his place. Really, their place.

He didn’t have much and it only took a few boxes, though unpacking had to be put on hold since the copper-haired fiend decided as soon as they arrived, they had to christen nearly every single surface.

Later that night, it seemed as though a bit of role reversal took place. Ben was unpacking, trying to find a place for everything while Joe was walking around in just his boxers and tee shirt, dancing to whatever 80’s love song Alexa played by his request. Joe was trying to lore Ben into dancing with him, telling the blond that he’d be the one to put everything in order the following morning.

Ben was about to agree when he stumbled upon something he didn’t expect to find. An old fashioned journal tucked deep inside a box. Leather bound and strapped, Ben took it out and flipped through it. He knew the handwriting far too well by now and held it up to Joe who froze at the sight.

“What is this?” He asked curiously.

It wasn’t a diary, but rather a story. Practically a script really. Joe scrambled over, ripping the book from Ben’s grasp. He held it against his chest protectively, his eyes wide. “You weren’t supposed to see that.”

“Since when do you hide things from me?” Ben asked, offended by his reaction.

“I’m not hiding anything,” Joe replied back, his cheeks burning scarlet. “I wrote this years ago. It’s not . . . it’s embarrassing, okay?”

“From what I skimmed, it seemed all right.”

“Just . . . please forget about it.”

“Joe, come on.” Ben stepped forward, reaching to tug at Joe’s tee shirt to pull him closer. “Joey,” He spoke softly. “Do you think I’d judge you?”

Joe whined, looking away from him. “No.” He admitted. Sighing, he held the book out to him. “Just . . . don’t tell me what you think, okay?”

Ben rolled his eyes, already knowing he wasn’t going to make that promise. Taking the leather bound book, Ben placed it on their nightstand. He read it the following day, while Joe was taking care of situating all the things Ben had unpacked the night before.

It was . . . impressive.

Joe had never expressed any interest in writing, but the blond wasn’t surprised. Letters and mail, it was all writing. Joe had one expressed that mail could be considered poetry and while the book wasn’t filled with poems, the story on its own was lovely.

“Joe this is fantastic,” Ben mentioned upon finishing, finding Joe in the kitchen, arranging all their cookware. “It should be published.”

“You’re sweet,” Joe replied, already following his eyes.

“I’m not joking,” Ben told him, stepping closer. “Have you written anything else?”

The other man shrugged, still not looking up. “Here and there. It’s just a hobby. Like my stamp collection.”

“This is more than a hobby.” Ben insisted, but the other man didn’t want to listen. He continued to place things where they wanted them, letting Ben’s compliments fall to deaf ears.

The following day, Ben went out for a second opinion. He asked the director of the theatre to give it a read, just to see if Joe truly did have talent or Ben really was blind with love at this point.

The director was baffled. It had been so long since he saw raw talent from the middle of nowhere. He went up and beyond to say that if they had the rights to a script like that they’d be dealing with a possible packed house and not the possibility of termination due to the shitty work they were currently reading.

He decided to take the chance and tell that to Joe who was rightfully pissed off that Ben would show anybody his work. Joe didn’t even want him to read it, but having others, especially a professional, reading it was terrifying. Ben tried to explain that the man loved it and he wanted to put it on as a real play, but Joe refused to listen to that.

All he could think about was knowing there were people out there who read his deepest thoughts. It had been their biggest and worst fight to date. Joe wouldn’t speak to him, which would have been horrible before, but now they lived together, so it was just awful. Ben hated the silent treatment, especially since no amount of apologizing seemed to fix it.

All he could do was wait for Joe to come around. And he did, but it took a whole bloody week. Eventually, both got to be too lonely or too sad and Ben felt Joe creep into the bed in the darkness. They had gone back and forth between the bed and the couch, depending on who fell asleep on the couch first.

Joe fell asleep on this couch this particular night and after draping the blanket over him and kissing his head. He undressed and turned off all the lights, the sheets far too cold in his eyes. He was just on the blink of sleep when he felt the dip of the bed and felt Joe curl around him under the covers.

“Did he really like my script?” Joe whispered in the darkness.

Ben bobbed his head, even if Joe couldn’t see it. “Loved it,” Ben replied, his accent heavy from how tired he was.

Joe moved in closer, going to lay his head on Ben’s chest. The blond automatically wrapped his arms around him, finally feeling comfortable in this bed.

“I’m sorry, love. I didn’t mean to upset you.” He confessed quietly as they held one another. “I just wanted to prove how wonderful your work was.”

“I know,” Joe murmured into his chest. “I know you did. And I know how much your current show is killing you. If . . . if he wants to turn it into a play, he can.”

Ben sat up suddenly, finding Joe’s eyes in the darkness. “You don’t have to do that for me.”

“I’m not,” Joe swore. “Not completely. I know things haven’t been great for me, career-wise. Maybe this is my turning point?”

“You know I’d stand by you no matter what.” Ben insisted. “You’re sure of this?”

Joe bobbed his own head this time, leaning in to kiss his boyfriend. It was a kiss Ben practically melted into. “God, I have missed you,” Joe muttered out breathlessly. “Let’s never fight, okay?”

“I don’t know. I’ve heard makeup sex can be rather fun.” Ben suggested.

Joe kept his gaze for a long moment before pouncing on Ben, pulling the blanket over them.

The next few days, Joe and the director worked to turn his script into well, a real script. Joe had done a few rewrites here and there, but the story was still wonderful. Ben was in love with the main character and Joe was left practically giddy at the idea of Ben playing a character he had fantasied about so long ago.

Though it took a bit of persuading for the backers, the theatre scrapped the other script and they took this one on as quickly as possible. It was far easier to work on since the lines and story and characters were all enjoyable.

Joe found his place at the theatre, working side by side with the director to get it to work blend well enough.

When opening night came around, Joe was pacing back and forth, finding he was more nervous than the actual cast. He found Ben backstage and hugged him tightly, wanting to wish him luck.

“Break a leg,” He told the man, smiling sheepishly at him.

“Right. I love you.” Ben told him, leaning in to kiss Joe once more. The copper-haired man was left baffled and shocked, his eyes wide as Ben pulled back. The blond gave him a wink before heading for the stage.

He knew it was a quick confession, one that he was sure Joe would repeat back to him by the end of the night.

“Thats my boyfriend,” He heard Joe proclaim proudly as he walked off, causing the man to chuckle as he walked onto the stage, ready to take the show on the road.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The song Joe danced to after sex was Heartbreaker by Dionne Warwick. Seriously, if you don't know it, check it out. 
> 
> I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I more or less pulled it out of the dark, so I honestly don't even know if its any good. I know I always say I won't be posting more and then ultimately do, but try not to get your hopes up for another chapter. I don't want this to be too AU since it's based on such a simple indie movie.

**Author's Note:**

> I swear I have a life outside of writing for this fucking fandom.


End file.
